$450M HVDC contract awarded for African energy link

2015-12-10

Isolux Corsan and its consortium partner Siemens have received a contract to design, build and install high voltage direct current (HVDC) equipment between Ethiopia and Kenya.

Under terms of the consortium agreement, Isolux Corsan will be responsible for the construction and installation the converter and AC substations, along with power transformers and other electrical equipment, while Siemens will supply the complete HVDC core technology, reports Utilities Network News.

The HVDC bipole will have a capacity of 2,000 MW and will link two converter stations in Suswa (Kenya) and Sodo (Ethiopia) with a 1,000-kilometre long DC power line.

The order was placed by the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO) and the Kenya Electricity Transmission Co. Ltd. (KETRACO), while the total value of the project coming at $450 million will he financed by the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

The project, scheduled to go into operation by the end of 2018, will improve the exchange of energy between both countries increasing power availability at both ends and covering the power needs for the future development of the areas.

Source: Utilities Network News